There are many different constraints here. Many companies that hire software developers aren't necessarily in the "business" of software which colors their appr

There are many different constraints here. Many companies that hire software developers aren't necessarily in the "business" of software which colors their approach to hiring. They aren't experts in hiring developers so they tend to outsource it. As someone who is part of hiring decisions at just such a company I regularly see things like: 1. Pushback on work sample tests from the recruiting companies. 2. Upper management wondering why it's so hard to find candidates that can pass our work sample tests. 3. Suggestions that maybe we should be using an online coding test. (multiple choice questions of poor quality) It can be really difficult for companies that don't have a lot of in-house experience here to figure out how to hire good developers. Much of what is known in Silicon Valley style companies isn't really known by HR in a smaller company in the midwest. They don't typically read HN or follow the tech blogs. And unless they luck into hiring a vocal Senior Developer like me to specifically guide their recruiting and interviewing process they won't even realize how badly their hiring process is.